Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Reddit: 'no personal info about leads unless you are really sure.'

"A section for finding the Navy Yard shooters on the popular online community reddit has been banned."
The shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning left at least 12, including a gunman dead. But police say there may be another suspect at large, and they “have reason to believe” this individual was involved in shootings.
Erik Martin from reddit tells us: "We banned it because it violated site rules by encouraging the posting of personal information. The quote from the side bar that subreddit that was banned said 'no personal information about leads unless you are really sure.' We do not allow the posting of personal information under any circumstances."
The problem is that news outlets pickup the Reddit speculation from Tweets and they run with it, without thoroughly checking it out first.

So, the press probably asked Reddit to save them from themselves.
Reddit became a gathering place for amateur sleuthing in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this year, fueling what some reports called "online witch hunts" that resulted in some people being falsely identified as the bomber.

Wapo

Scott Pelley -- Getting Big Stories Wrong

32 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Before we even get started, let's get down to the important stuff...

If you disagree with me, you're a racist! I said it first, so no trying to wiggle out of it.

What's the problem with slandering somebody as a mass murderer?

I've been slandered on the internet as, among other things, a child molester, a wife beater, a homophobe, a religious bigot, a religious zealot... you name it.

Let 'er rip, boys and girls! Just remember... If you disagree with me, you're a racist. I've got dibs. I said it first!

rhhardin said...

I can't work up an interest.

10,000 Americans die every day.

100,000 people in the world die every day.

In round numbers.

To draw a serious-sized audience, you'd need child deaths in any case.

They're trying too hard.

chickelit said...

I remember the Boston Marathon "sleuthing" -- they got everything wrong. It sure generated the hits, though.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The problem is that news outlets pickup the Reddit speculation from Tweets and they run with it w/o thoroughly checking it out first.

Especially if "news" outlets can blame Tea Party or Sarah Palin.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Sometimes crazy is the answer...

Known Unknown said...

I remember the Boston Marathon "sleuthing" -- they got everything wrong. It sure generated the hits, though.

You apparently didn't read the threads on Reddit.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

You've taken a wrong turn when you think that teaching school children to be circumspect plays into the hands of the Godless Communists determined to make slaves of us all.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Shouting Thomas, remember there are five A's in raaaaacism.

The Dude said...

I know certain commenters here are sad because the shooter was a black Buddhist from Queens. He murdered their narrative, the bastard.

ndspinelli said...

For me, the amateur sleuthing is personal. I had insurance and attorney clients who were PI wannabes. Prior to giving me a case they would "check out" the subject. What that often meant was they were Barney Fife and did amateur surveillance and/or phone pretext calls, tipping off the subject. I would simply tell them they made my job more difficult and to stop it. I lost some clients that way. But, if I'm going to be judged on my success I don't need someone making it more difficult. Surveillance is tough enough.

I'm sure there are a few people who do this reddit sleuthing that are pretty sharp. But, 90% are probably Barney Fifes.

Chip Ahoy said...

Is everyone who comments a reddit editor? Does signing up make one a reddit editor? Is that what they term each other? Like Ace terms everyone morons?

edutcher said...

Portrait in incompetence?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I think its that the press with all their resources has to appeal to Orwellian tactics just because they cant exercise some self restraint and discipline.

In effect they are saying we are no better off than the huddled masses at Reddit.

That's what bugs them.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Shouting T-
Thank you for your cleansing words.
I shall now bow before an image of Nancy Pelosi and the talent at MSDNC, so that my soul can be purified.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Does signing up make one a reddit editor?

I believe so.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AllenS said...

I tried Twitter, but couldn't handle the character count limit. Never gave Reddit a thought.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The reason I asked is because I cant reach you via email. you don't have a profile.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

ST is having something of a breakdown. The gentleman doth protest too much.

Known Unknown said...

At least on Reddit, there was a real effort to self-correct that you rarely see (or gets buried) in the mainstream media.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I think its that the press with all their resources . . .

Those days are gone.

Today's news media is hand-to-mouth.

It used to be that the dumbest college graduates went into teaching because all you had to know how to do was read and write.

ricpic said...

OT - Is anyone here aware that the president has just waived the law against aiding terrorists? Well, he has. That's how hot to trot he is to support Al-Qaeda, the "rebel" in Syria. This is naked treason. Crickets crickets crickets.....

test said...

"ricpic said...
This is naked treason."

It would be better to say it's illegal, stupid, and a true example of an "Imperial Presidency" criticism of the type the left always tried to trump up against Bush. But of course the left never really cared about an Imperial Presidency, they only cared a Republican was president.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

ST is having something of a breakdown.

It could be something to do with a scenario where the discussion/conversation the president has asked us to have about race seems to be universally decoupled/delinked/disconnected from the discussion of what may have lead Alexis to shoot up the Yard yesterday.

ST may perceive it as a gargantuan elephant in the room.

That would be my guess.

ricpic said...

Treason: to aid and abet an enemy of the United States.

Al-Qaeda is a terrorist enemy of the United States.

The president just waived the law against aiding a terrorist organization. In order to give arms to Al-Qaeda.

If Obama is not impeached we live in a dictatorship, plain and simple.

test said...

He's not giving them the weapons to attack the US, which is probably what would be required to support a charge of treason.

Some almost certainly will eventually be used against us and our allies, which makes his actions stupid. And he lacks the authority to waive laws he finds inconvenient, which makes his actions both illegal and an example of an Imperial Presidency. Not that this is surprising given his track record of [for example] exempting from Obamacare companies politically connected to the left.

This is so obviously stupid and illegal it's better to stick with those criticisms than get bogged down in details of what constitutes treason.

But don't worry, leftists are this minute figuring out why this is Republicans' fault. And by the time my kids are in college this will be an example of American stupidity and shortsightedness we need leftists to save us from. One of the left's great achievements their success in blaming America and conservatives for their own idiocies.

rhhardin said...

Bumper showed up on Imus at 6:36.

I wonder what that is, it sounds like Tiffany Eckhardt and David Steele.

It turns out to be Sheryl Crow copying them.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ndspinnelli is spot on.

William said...

I think the most salient fact about the shooter is that he is crazy. I think the media will also go along with this narrative. If he had been a white veteran, not so much. As we saw in the Gifford case, the thing that drove the shooter over the line was his exposure to the cross hairs that Palin used in a political ad.

William said...

It is informative to note that while one of his undoubted voters was shooting up the Navy Yard, Obama took that as a propitious occasion to complain about excessive Republican partisanship.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Does signing up make one a reddit editor?

"I believe so."

No. Commenting on Reddit is just like commenting on a blog. You open a Reddit account and can make comments or reply to comments on a thread. The difference is that you get up votes or down votes. If people like your comment, for whatever reason, you get points, called Karma points. If people don't like your comment, you get down voted or negative Karma.

There are many sub-reddits that you can follow or comment on. Some are serious, some are funny, some are interest specific and some are just horrific WTF. If it says NSF, probably you don't want to click on it. If it says NSFL....definitely DON'T.

I follow several that are very interesting. /whatisthisthing .... it is amazing what people know.


Eric the Fruit Bat said...

William Shatner in one of his autobiographies said nice things about Sheryl Crow and a lot of people seem to like her a lot.

Maybe she's a really nice person in real life or something.

That might be the nicest explanation for why she has a career in show business at all.